New law requires more affordable housing in California
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, October 30th.
>>>>
More affordable housing could soon be built across the state. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
######
A freshman quarterback is suing U-S-D, accusing his football teammates of hazing and sexual assault.
A-J Perez had just transferred to U-S-D in August, when he says he was forced to take part in two hazing incidents, led by upperclassmen players, and involving pornography and nudity.
The university is conducting an internal investigation and its president has promised that players found responsible for violating school policy will face disciplinary action.
Head coach Brandon Moore says he reported the incidents to school administration as soon as quarterback Perez told him in August.
Perez has left the school, pending the outcome of his lawsuit.
########
It’s going to be another windy day today.
A wind advisory is now in effect in the county’s valley and mountain areas, through 5 P-M on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service says gusts could reach up to 50 miles per hour.
Today’s temperatures in the inland areas will be in the mid 80s, in the deserts it’ll be in the low 80s, it’ll be in the low 60s in the mountain areas, and by the coast, it’ll be in the high 60s.
And if you’re planning to go trick or treating tomorrow for Halloween, the weather is expected to be similar to today.
########
A new entrance for Terminal One is now open for passengers heading to the San Diego International Airport.
Airport spokesperson Nicole Hall spoke to KPBS at the airport, and says it will help move along the greater construction efforts for Terminal One.
“The old road actually went through the center of where the construction of the new parking plaza – which is right here – will be for the new terminal. And that parking plaza is going to be five levels, it'll offer 5,200 spaces. And it'll open in 2024.”
Hall says the new entrance is a long term solution, and will eventually be further extended.
The first phase of the new Terminal One building is scheduled to open in late summer 20-25, with 19 gates.
#########
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
##########
A new law will pave the way for more affordable housing across California.
South Bay reporter Kori Suzuki says the law has San Diego roots.
This new law, signed by the governor this month, will lay the groundwork for developers across the state to build more affordable housing. AB-1449 was co-authored by Assemblymember David Alvarez, who represents South San Diego County. “We are trying to support cities that want to do the right thing, that want to build affordable housing, that want to do it quickly, that want to do it cheaper. The new law does this by opening a gap in CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA gives individual people the power to challenge development projects in court. Alvarez’s new law creates an exception in CEQA for certain types of affordable housing – allowing these projects to move forward without legal challenges.There wasn’t much pushback. The only opposition was a labor group that said it should include stronger protections for workers. City planning professor Valerie Stahl says this new law is part of a growing effort to build new homes faster, all over the state. “There have already been sort of a few exemptions to CEQA, including in instances of affordable housing development. But what AB 1449 does is sort of universally expand that and really facilitate that development even further.” Stahl says that no one bill is going to fix all of our housing problems. Still, she does see this new law as a step in the right direction. Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
##########
A new national mammogram study is looking to recruit more black women, who are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.
Reporter Katie Hyson spoke with a San Diego oncologist who says that can be changed.
Breast cancer outcomes are improving for everyone. But they’re improving much slower for Black women, says breast oncologist Angelique Richardson. That's the most alarming thing . . . We're seeing improvements, we're just not seeing it in all groups. Richardson says the medical community used to think that was largely genetics. But research shows it’s more about unequal healthcare access. She says Black women tend to live farther from large cancer centers. I have some patients that drive 4 hours to come to clinic. They typically lack health insurance that covers transportation or childcare. And many Black women, who research shows are more often primary breadwinners, can’t take off work. So they delay treatment. Or get it less frequently. But, when access is equalized – like in a breast cancer clinical trial Richardson oversees – that mortality difference goes away, she says. She urges providers to listen to Black patients. I've had a lot of young women . . . say, I felt this and someone told me it wasn't anything and to just kind of wait on it and they've come back and it's been very aggressive cancer later. And that has happened fairly often in my black women. They've just not been really listened to. Richardson says she knows from personal experience how hard it can be to advocate for yourself as a Black woman. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.
##########
The future of Tri-City Medical Center has been unclear since the hospital suspended its labor and delivery unit earlier this year.
It began a search for a willing partner that could help strengthen the facility.
North County reporter Tania Thorne says the choice wasn’t easy, but secures patient care.
Both uc san diego health and sharp healthcare offered proposals. patty maysent/uc san diego health we are so thrilled and excited for the opportunity to partner with the tri-city district and with the leadership team and the medical staff and the staff and the community. patty maysent is the ceo of uc san diego health. the final choice for tri city’s board members. a big factor in ucsd’s plan was bringing back the suspended labor and delivery unit that maysent said is priority for many. while it’s a priority, details of the partnership still need to be worked out… and that could take until next march. ucsd health plans on investing 170 million dollars the first two years of the partnership. tt kpbs news.
##########
In the past several years, San Diego has managed to slash greenhouse gas emissions from electricity.
But despite that progress, the city's carbon footprint actually increased slightly in 20-21.
Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says that's due to the city's biggest source of pollution: cars.
CC: It would be great if there was more protection from these cars that are going really fast. AB: I'm walking with Corinna Contreras on the main pedestrian route to the Grantville trolley station. Contreras is a policy advocate for the nonprofit Climate Action Campaign. The trolley could be a major asset to the community of Grantville… but the journey to get there isn't easy or pleasant. It's a long and indirect walk. There's no shade. And it's right next to the deafening I-8 freeway. CC: Yeah, noise is one of those things that can really destroy your peace of mind. AB: Grantville is a neighborhood that is rapidly densifying with new apartment buildings. Given how inaccessible the trolley is, it's not hard to understand why most of the new residents are dependent on their cars. And that translates to more greenhouse gas emissions. CORINNA CONTRERAS CLIMATE ACTION CAMPAIGN CC: We could be making tremendous advances in renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from that sector. But if everybody is forced to drive because transit stations like this aren’t well connected to the neighborhoods around it, of course our GHG emissions are going to keep going up. AB: In fact, San Diego has been making progress on renewable energy. Emissions from electricity fell by an impressive 27% in 2021, the most recent year with available data. But 2021 also saw more cars on the road as COVID restrictions eased. And that effectively canceled out the year's progress on renewable energy. Those findings were buried in the appendices of a climate monitoring report the city released quietly in March. AM: It does need to trend downward — it has to — but policies don't manifest immediately. AB: Alyssa Muto is San Diego's director of sustainability and mobility. She says many of the city's climate policies — like allowing more dense housing in neighborhoods that are already less car-dependent — will take years to translate to lower emissions. And, she says, the year-to-year fluctuations aren't as important as the long term trend toward the city's goal of net zero emissions by 2035. ALYSSA MUTO SAN DIEGO SUSTAINABILITY & MOBILITY DIRECTOR AM: We really changed that perspective of — we're getting to net zero, so it doesn't matter the baseline of where we start, we just know we need to get to this zero number. AB: One of the latest efforts the city is taking to reduce emissions from transportation is the Mobility Master Plan. Muto says the city analyzed a host of data sources to identify projects and policies that will increase mobility while reducing emissions. AM: We were able to identify a list of over 200 projects that if the city invests in those more near term will help to move us to provide more options that are safe and sustainable for our residents and visitors and businesses alike. AB: But something the city's Mobility Master Plan doesn't do is identify projects that will increase emissions. And there's one such project in Grantville. AB: I'm standing here at the intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Alvarado Canyon Road. It's the gateway to Grantville and it's chronically congested. City traffic engineers are responding with a plan to widen these roads to accommodate more cars. That'll cost taxpayers about 40 million dollars. But by the city's own estimates, best case scenario, the wider roads will save drivers about 22 seconds. CC: When we commit to a multimodal type of transportation system, we are enhancing street level safety. And that’s what people want. AB: Corinna Contreras is unimpressed by the city's Mobility Master Plan. She says it's good the city is paying attention to equity, and trying to improve mobility infrastructure in low-income communities first. But the city still doesn't have a detailed plan for how to fully decarbonize its transportation system. And time is running out. CC: Every year that you're not advancing towards achieving those goals, you are falling further and further behind. All of a sudden, you have this A+ vision and you're kind of operating at a D- level. AB: Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
##########
Coming up.... The next stop on our KPBS public art tour takes us to Imperial Beach. We learn about two sculptures, both inspired by the city's surf culture.
“In the old days with the long boards when the surfers would get out of the water they would dig a little hole stick the boards in the hole and them mound it up."
We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
##########
1-point-3 billion dollars… that’s how much the San Diego County arts organizations contributed to the local economy, according to a new study.
North County reporter Alexander Nguyen speaks with one of those organizations in Carlsbad.
Up and down Carlsbad Village … there are shops and eateries everywhere. In the middle of that is New Village Arts … a midsize theater company that attracts more than 30 thousand people each year. Kristianne Kurner is the founder and executive director of the company. She thinks it’s fantastic that this year’s Arts and Economic Prosperity report included the economic impact of BIPOC organizations. Kurner says 70-percent of New Village Arts staff identify as BIPOC. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of color. “We can make the argument of why it's so important from a cultural standpoint, but when you can also show that it's just as financially important, I think that is so important to our community and to the health of our community.” According to Kurner … the study also shows the company provides 2-point-6 million dollars of economic impact to San Diego North County every year. AN/KPBS.
##########
Speaking of public art… our next story highlights public art in Imperial Beach.
Local artists told reporter Gustavo Solis that they were inspired by the city’s surf culture.
“My name is Malcolm Jones.” “I’m a sculptor who lives in IB.” Malcolm Jones is being modest. He isn’t just any sculptor who lives in Imperial Beach. He’s the artist behind SurfHenge – one of the most iconic public art pieces in the South Bay. The piece is loosely modeled after StoneHenge and depicts colorful giant surfboards right in front of the IB pier. “The idea was that in the old days with the long boards when the surfers would get out of the water they would dig a little hole stick the boards in the hole and them mound it up so the board was straight up in the air. That was so the wax wouldn’t melt or get sand in it. So they would stay in groups typically and they would put their boards in slightly different positions depending on where the sun was when they laid down on the beach.” SurfHenge is one of two major public art pieces built in the late 90s. The Port of San Diego commissioned the pieces in Imperial Beach to change public perception. Back then, Imperial Beach was known more for drug dealers and biker gangs than public art. David Frink, Imperial Beach Arts Bureau “25, 30 years ago, IB had a really bad reputation. When my wife and I were thinking of moving here people asked us why would you do that?” “My name is David Frink I am the executive director of the Imperial Beach Arts Bureau.” “The reason we’re here is to promote Imperial Beach and the public art scene. We really want IB to be known as a public arts destination.” Today, Imperial Beach is decorated with dozens of murals. The IB Arts Bureau has an interactive map online where visitors can find every piece of public art. Fink says the start of that movement was SurfHenge and IB’s second iconic art installation. “And then the spirit of IB, recognizing the surfing culture and Dempsy Holder who was so instrumental in starting the surf culture that happened here in the 50s and 60s.” The Spirit of Imperial Beach shows an absolutely ripped surfer posing heroically next to a giant longboard. The surfer’s face is modeled after local legend Dempsy Holder, but his body is inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger. A Port Commissioner thought surfers were too puny and asked the sculptor to beef him up a bit. The base of the metal statue is a sandcastle – an homage to the city’s annual sandcastle contest. “So between those two sculptures, those are probably the most photographed pieces that we have in IB and we’re very proud of them.” The sculptor, A. Wasil, passed away before the piece was installed. Wasil and Jones worked on their two iconic pieces together. Both with the same goal of changing perceptions. “The city was looking for an identity and a way to get people to know them that came off what I call the pirate era where the town was kind of lawless and they fastened on historic surfing. It was something they had to offer and this is a tribute to historic surfers who were down here braving these crazy waves.” Dempsey Holder was a local lifeguard who put Imperial Beach on the map. He encouraged other surfers to ride the massive waves at the mouth of the Tijuana River. Pro surfers would use those waves to train for big wave contests in Hawaii. “They were riding waves as tall as 20 25 feet with these wooden boards that weighed like 90 pounds. They didn’t have wet suits. The good waves were in the wintertime, and they were famous around here.” Today, cross-border sewage keeps most surfers away from that once-famous break. But there are still a few dedicated surfers who paddle out during the big winter swells. And even though cross-border sewage continues to close the Imperial Beach coastline, the two public art pieces remain a source of inspiration. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News.
##########
Longtime San Diego artist Robert Irwin died last week.
He was 95.
Irwin was known worldwide as a leader of the "light and space" movement in contemporary art.
Arts producer Julia Dixon Evans has more.
Robert Irwin changed the way people look at art. It's about perception. It's about getting you to tune in, to your place and the environment around you. Kathryn Kanjo is director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. She said Irwin's legacy is significant in art worldwide, but especially here. His most famous work in San Diego is "1 degree 2 degrees 3 degrees 4 degrees," which features 3 square holes cut directly through the museum's windows. In an interview with KPBS in 2007, Irwin said he wanted to lean into the idea that what people may see out the window is as good as any art. Well, actually when I stopped being a studio artist, I was very interested in the idea of dealing with spaces, but I didn't want to objectify them. I didn't know want things in them. I wanted you to deal with the quality of the space itself. One San Diego gallery owner called Robert Irwin a philosopher’s artist, who was concerned with the idea of looking, seeing and beauty. Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS news.
##########
That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Monday.
